This Sunday’s late game (4:30 eastern time) matches the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers, in Green Bay.
The teams will be meeting for a second straight season in the playoffs. Last year in a home divisional round game, the 49ers prevailed.
The Packers own a (4-2) edge in previous playoff games between the two teams.
The teams have split the two previous wild card round games, each winning at home.
If the 49ers win this week, they will get to play in their 49th NFL playoff game next week in either Seattle or Carolina.
The NFL wild card round will continue on Sunday with two games.
In the first, the Cincinnati Bengals will host the San Diego Chargers. The two teams will be meeting for just the second time in a post season game.
The previous meeting was in a frigid 1981 AFC Championship game that was won by the Bengals.
The Bengals, who were (8-0) at home this season, are a touchdown favorite in this week’s game.
Neither of these teams has ever won the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The Bengals are (0-2) in Super Bowl games while San Diego is (0-1). All three losses were to the San Francisco 49ers.
This Saturday, the two NFL wild card round games will include coach Andy Reid in one and his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles in the other.
The round begins with Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs visiting the Indianapolis Colts. The 2006 playoffs began with the same pair of teams in the same venue.
That season ended with the Colts and their quarterback Peyton Manning, winning their only Super Bowl as the Indianapolis Colts.
Things change, the weather the day of the Colts/Chiefs wild card round game in January 2007 was a balmy and beautiful in the New York area. Now it is freezing. Peyton Manning is no longer a Colts’ player, but with the AFC favorite, Denver Broncos.
At night this Saturday, the Eagles are a field goal or so favorite vs the New Orleans Saints.
This will be the third playoffs clash between the Eagles and Saints. The teams split the previous two, with both games in New Orleans.
The Eagles won a wild card round game in 1992 while the Saints prevailed in a divisional game in the 2006 season.
The Saints divisional round home win in 2006 followed a Colts’ road win. This time the Colts play first, at home and it is the wild card round. It is the opposite for the Saints as well; the later game, on the road and the wild card round.
My predictions also call for the opposite of the 2006 same day, divisional round results. Then both the Colts and Saints won. I predict both teams will lose Saturday. I am predicting wins for Reid’s current team, the Chiefs and his old team, the Eagles.
Both the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers won exciting showdown games that decided divisional titles in the NFC last Sunday.
Philadelphia held on for a (24-22) win at Dallas vs the Cowboys to win the NFC East.
It marks the third straight season the Cowboys have been eliminated in the Sunday night NFL regular season finale.
Meanwhile Aaron Rodgers returned to the lineup and led the (8-7-1) Green Bay Packers to their third straight NFC North crown, as they won their divisional showdown game at Chicago vs the Bears (34-28).
The Pack did not even reach the semi final round/NFC Championship game the last two seasons as divisional champions.
However, Green Bay won it all as an NFC wild card team in the 2010 season playoffs conducted in January 2011.
Today is the 78th birthday of the great Dodger pitcher Sandy Koufax. Far too many years, 47, have gone by since he had to retire in the prime of his career.
In his last season, pitching with an arthritic elbow, he won 27 games including the pennant clincher at Philadelphia on the last day of the season. That game in which he struggled late, but held on for a (6-3) win means a great deal to Sandy.
Mr. Koufax keeps a low profile adding to his incredible mystique. I was fortunate enough to meet Sandy on a few occasions.
Sandy did not throw at batters, retired at his peak albeit due to injury, and has never done anything to tarnish his great image. He also loves basketball and was a darn good player in his day.
Some recollections about the 1965 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Minnesota Twins.
In the 1965 regular season, Koufax won 26 and lost 8. He pitched the pennant clincher vs the then, Milwaukee Braves on the penultimate day of the season.
Sandy did not pitch the opening game of the 1965 World Series because of his observance of the Jewish “High Holy Day,” Yom Kippur.
In that game the Twins beat Don Drysdale. When manager Walt Alston came to the mound to relieve Drysdale, the big right handed star said, “I bet around this time you wish I was Jewish.”
The next day the Twins beat Sandy and held a (2-0) World Series lead. However, Claude Osteen won game 3 while Don and Sandy won the next two games, Sandy by shutout.
Minnesota won game six behind Jim “Mudcat” Grant, who also homered in the game.
Sandy Koufax threw another shutout as the Dodgers won it all in game 7.
Twins manager Sam Mele was asked the key to the just completed World Series. “Not enough Jewish holidays” he said.
Happy birthday Sandy.
Sandy K and Andy B
My predictions on the AFC playoff picture were all correct, no great deal, as they included but one upset (the New York Jets win at Miami). One can refer to them, however, for the AFC update.
I did not get the schedule correct as the San Diego Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals game will be Sunday and not Saturday as I forecast.
I was correct in saying the NFC game (New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles) will be Saturday night.
Speaking of Saturday night (cue Elton John), it is noteworthy that the divisional round Saturday night game the following week will be at New England. That will be the 6th time in 7 such games that will occur.
The AFC wild card round begins with the Kansas City Chiefs visiting the Indianapolis Colts, in a four thirty tilt on Saturday.
On Sunday, in the earlier 1 p.m. eastern time game, the Bengals are a touchdown favorite vs the Chargers. The Colts will be about a field goal “choice” vs the Chiefs.
By the way the approximate odds against being correct on the six games I predicted, were 8 to one. Three teams were favored by over 10 points, two by about a touchdown but add in the Jets upset as a touchdown underdog, and it was a nice prediction.
Here are my predictions for the final week of the regular season in the AFC. Also if those predictions manifest, my projected wild card round games.
In the AFC, it goes according to form as Denver, New England and Cincinnati all win. They are the top three seeds in that order.
Indianapolis is 4th. Kansas City will be the 5th seed as that is definite and not a prediction. The San Diego Chargers will get the final playoff spot as the Jets will upset the Dolphins and San Diego will win at home vs “locked into 5th,” Kansas City.
In the wild card round, NBC will televise Cincinnati hosting San Diego on Saturday. The announcer will not be Al Michaels, who will be at an NFC game at night.
On Sunday January 5th, CBS will air Kansas City at Indianapolis. Jim Nantz will be there. I will not attempt NFC predictions.
Paul Blair, one of baseball’s greatest fielders and a member of four World Series winning teams, passed away this week. He was 69 years old.
Blair played on two Fall Classic winners with both the Baltimore Orioles (1966 and 1970) and the New York Yankees (1977 and 1978).
Having been an intense Los Angeles Dodgers fan during that time, Blair’s teams’ (3-0) W.S. record vs L.A. still “stings” a bit.
However, Paul is a player I liked and his exploits including those in winning World Series vs the Dodgers in 1966, 1977 and 1978 are worth recalling.
Paul was a big reason the Orioles swept the Dodgers in the 1966 World Series. In game three he homered for the game’s only run. The next day in game four, he made a home run saving catch in another (1-0) Orioles win.
A month shy of 11 years old, I was allowed to listen in the car but not watch as a “family destination” was deemed more important by my parents, but certainly not me.
I heard Blair’s catch that ended the World Series. Later seeing his beautiful, wide smile after that catch, I thought of the contrast with my frown at the result.
Eleven years later, Blair got two big hits that contributed mightily to an eventual Yankees’ World’s championship, their first in 15 years.
The first of these hits was in the 1977 ALCS vs the Kansas City Royals.
Down a run in the decisive 5th game, the Yankees rallied for three runs at Kansas City to win their second straight pennant and 31st overall.
It was Blair, who started the 9th inning rally with a bloop single. I am still upset that Royals’ center fielder, and a good one, Amos Otis was playing Blair so deep.
Then in the World Series opener vs “my” Dodgers, Blair drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning.
Some perspective for me and it is indicative of some sadness. I never met Blair, but a friend saw him working in a department store, not long after his retirement from baseball.
There is far from anything wrong with that, save the fact, far less productive players than Blair, will never even conceive of having to work at all after retirement.
There is beauty in baseball and catching a long fly ball with grace and ease is one entity in that beauty. Surely/hopefully Blair will already “be there,” waiting for the balls hit near him in eternity. Certainly on this planet few if any exceeded his talent in catching a baseball.
Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants, is in my opinion, the second most important player of this era, behind only David Ortiz of the world champion Boston Red Sox.
His first two full seasons with the San Francisco Giants manifested in World Series wins for the franchise, the first one in 2010, ending a 56 year title drought.
Posey, the Giants’ catcher was an integral part of two Giants’ World Series winning teams in three seasons as San Francisco titled in both 2010 and 2012. He was injured in a home plate collision and missed much of the 2011 season.
One negative is that Posey is so good, it may be a major reason baseball has made a rule against home plate collisions. It is another change that I do not favor.
Posey was injured in a home plate collision in 2011 and was out for at least half the season. That was the in between year for the Giants, who as stated above won it all in 2010 and 2012. I think the fact a star player such as Posey was injured in such a way, led to the rule change.
After the 2010 Title season I met Giants Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, pitching coach Dave Righetti, and broadcasters Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow. They were all very gracious.
Each provided some much needed positive in what I see as a very negative sports landscape, made a bit worse by making home plate collisions against the baseball rules.
Buster Posey with Andy B
Recently I spent an enjoyable evening at the revamped Madison Square Garden watching a hockey game between the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs.
It was a good regular season game between two teams from the days of the glorious six team National Hockey league. While it was not quite Rod Gilbert (Rangers) and Dave Keon (Leafs) the memories were stirred and Toronto has a player whose last name is Ranger.
The revamped Madison Square Garden looks good with a tremendous scoreboard and conveniently located amenities.
I watched the out of town scoreboard and it provided timely, running updates on the other NHL games.
Additionally the New York Knicks’ basketball game and Monday night football game were in the rotation of continually updated scores. Good job.
Speaking of scores, The Rangers won (2-1) in a shootout thus gaining two points. Toronto did no go home empty, getting one point.
Andy B Sports 